Ground Turkey Pasta Bake
Ground Turkey Pasta Bake is a healthy casserole with ground turkey meat, whole wheat pasta, kale, and bubbly cheese. This is a restaurant-quality easy dinner with fridge and pantry staples!
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey extra lean
- 3 cups 10 oz whole wheat penne/fusilli pasta uncooked
- 4 - 5 cups kale stems removed & chopped
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp rosemary dried
- 1 tsp basil dried
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 28 oz tomato sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup pasta water
- 2 cups 6 oz mozzarella cheese shredded & divided
- ⅓ cup Italian parsley chopped
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente as per package instructions, undercooking by 4 minutes. Drain, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350° and spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the meanwhile, preheat a large skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and garlic, sauté for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add oregano, rosemary, basil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring a few times.
- Add ground turkey and cook for another 5-7 minutes, breaking meat into pieces and stirring occasionally.
- Add tomato sauce, honey, balsamic vinegar, and pasta water. Stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add kale and stir to combine. Now add cooked pasta and stir to combine more.
- Transfer half of the mixture in previously prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Add remaining pasta meat mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let stand for 10 minutes, garnish with parsley and serve hot.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Freeze leftovers: Bake, cool and transfer to plastic or glass airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freeze unbaked: Assemble the casserole, wrap tightly with plastic and aluminum foil on top. When ready to eat, warm up on a counter for 30 minutes to prevent the dish from shattering in the oven. Bake from frozen increasing baking time by 15 - 20 minutes.
- Make ahead: If you don't want to freeze, assemble and refrigerate the casserole for up to 24 hours. Don't forget to cover with plastic wrap and then bake as per recipe.
- Reheating: Best would be in a microwave to prevent casserole from drying out.
- More protein: You can use 2 lbs of ground turkey to up the protein. Also ground chicken works.
- Greens: Spinach can be substituted for kale, especially that going bad in the fridge box staring right at you. When my spinach goes bad, I freeze the box to use later in casserole recipes and smoothies.
- Pasta: White, whole wheat, or gluten-free pasta works. You want the pasta to be short and with crevices to scoop up the sauce.
- Sodium content: Reduce sodium if using regular and not low sodium tomato sauce.
